Oh man, it has been a struggle for me to try and put my love for pesto into words. I’ve been starring at a blank page for far too long because I can’t figure out how to accurately describe my love for this garlic-y, basil, green goddess. I just LOVE pesto. I do. It’s that simple. I’ve loved it ever since I was a little girl to be honest. One of my favorite dinners growing up was actually a creamy chicken pesto pasta dish that my mom would make. It was not homemade but it was my absolute favorite! It was thick and creamy and always left me wanting more! As I’ve gotten older though, I’ve found myself not only loving the creamy pesto, but also developing a love for real, fresh, homemade pesto as well. I feel like the fresh basil makes it not only smell super fresh, but it also tastes so fresh and healthy which I love.
Not only is the flavor of pesto undeniable, but it pairs so well with almost anything! One of my favorite things about making pesto is that I can use it for a variety of different meals and different style foods all week long! You can use it as a pasta sauce, a base for pizza, a mayonnaise for sandwiches, drizzled over eggs, melted inside a grilled cheese, a marinate for chicken, shrimp, salmon, stuff it into meatballs, use it for garlic bread…I could go on and on but I would run out of paper! There is no wrong way to eat this deliciousness! So when I make a batch, I like to make a good portion so that I can use it for multiple different meals throughout the week, which keeps things easy and delicious!
A traditional pesto is usually made from basil, olive oil, parmesan, and pine nuts. To add a little extra fiber and nutrients, I like to add a little lemon, a couple large handfuls of organic spinach and sub the parmesan for manchengo. You probably notice that I use manchengo cheese in a lot of my recipes. Manchengo is a sheep milk based cheese, which basically means it ages longer, is lower in lactose, and is loaded with vitamins and protein. I tend to stick to sheep and goat milk base cheeses because they are better for your digestive system and easier for your body to break down. It’s a really good option for anyone with a dairy sensitivity, but it also just tastes amazing! I also love adding spinach because it’s tasteless and has so many health benefits. Spinach strengthens your immune system, your bones, promotes a healthy heart, and gives the body magnesium which helps give you energy. Those are only a few of my favorite benefits, but enough reason to try to eat more of it when you can in my opinion!
This green goddess pesto will only take you about 5 minutes to make and will last you all week (depending what your plan to make with it is of course). A few of my favorites are a pesto pasta dish with brown rice pasta and lemon garlic shrimp, a veggie egg taco scramble, sweet potato gnocchi with chicken and broccoli, pesto chicken stuffed with red pepper and honey goat cheese, and pesto chicken or pesto shrimp pizza – but like I said earlier, your options are endless! Hope you love this just as much as I do, although I’m not sure that’s possible!
What You’ll Need:
1/3 cup of olive oil + 2 tbsp.
2 tbsp. fresh chopped garlic
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
½ fresh squeezed lemon
1 cup of fresh basil
1 cup organic spinach
½ cup manchengo, shredded
¼ cup pine nuts
Directions:
In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Pulse until well combined and smooth. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Use for pastas, sandwiches, mayo, marinates – however you want! ENJOY!
Going to make it this week sounds delicious and nutritious! Thx